My trip to Bucharest in June 2022 was not only my first in the city but also one of my least researched trips. Up until my trip I had only seen glimpses of Bucharest on Instagram. They were not enough though to give me a clear idea of what I was going to see. Bucharest is a city I visited with no expectations and turned out to be one of my favorite destinations. I fell in love with its architecture and took countless photos of buildings. It’s easy to see why it was called Paris of the East.

Due to my busy work schedule at the time I managed to research about my trip a few days prior. I used my favorite tool which is Pinterest. I found 20 more or less places of interest in the city and added them to my list. Not all these places were a hit, so I’ll spare and share with you my favorites.

Arcul de Triumph & Herăstrău park

This was the first area I visited in Bucharest. It’s easy to get there via metro getting off at Aviatorilor station. The Arcul de Triumph commemorates the win of Romania’s history in WWI and was built in the early 1920s.

Next to the arch is Herăstrău park (King Michael I park). It is a large park around Herăstrău lake. I made my way to the Japanese garden. The garden itself was neglected to be honest but the park is worth a visit. It has an adventure course for children in the woods which I found interesting. There’s also a nice playground. Now that I have a child, I look out for kid friendly activities as well!

Inside the park there is an open-air museum showcasing traditional life in Romania. Elisabeta Palace, the residence of the Romanian Royal Family, is also located in the park. If you have more than 2 days in Bucharest and love parks it definitely is worth a visit.

Aviatorilor neighborhood Bucharest

If you know me, you know that I love to walk a lot in every city I visit. That’s how I discover beautiful buildings and neighborhoods. The Aviatorilor neighborhood is one of them! While waiting for my husband to finish up his work in Bucharest, I had some time to explore the area. I particularly walked between Soseaua Kiseleff and Bulervatur Aviatorilor. It is a residential area which also has some new builds. Soseaua Kiseleff is a nice street to walk. It is full of trees and is home to most foreign embassies in Romania.

Calea Victoriei

(From Strada Piața Amzei to Dâmbovița River)

Most of the posts that I read suggested walking along Calea Victoriei and justifiably so. Along this street there are many of the sights of Bucharest that I will write more about in a bit. Between Strada Piața Amzei and Strada George Enescu there are many cafes and take away restaurants. That’s where I had lunch on my first day in Treevi pizzeria.

Between Ateneul Roman and Revolution square there is the beautiful building of Carol I Central University Library. It was first built in the late 19th century. In early 20th century the building was extended and would stand out as one of the remarkable urban landmarks of Bucharest. Unfortunately much of the library was burned during the 1989 Revolution. It was rebuilt through the 1990s and reopened in early 2000s. In front of the building stands a statue of Carol I on his horse.

liked this street because of buildings, such as Hotel Continental and Hotel Capitol. Next to Capitol hotel is the Sarindar fountain and behind it the National Military Club.

Ateneul Roman

The Ateneul Roman is Bucharest’s oldest concert hall. It was inaugurated in 1888 and has a neoclassical style. I also enjoyed walking around the building.

The street behind has many restaurants and cafes. If you walk to the corner Nicolae Golescu and C.A. Rosetti streets, you will see a beautiful building. It’s architectural style is Brâncovenesc style. This style is also known as Romanian Renaissance. It incorporates elements from Byzantine, Ottoman, and late Renaissance architecture. Too bad that the building is full of graffiti.

National Art Museum

Straight across the street from Ateneul Roman is the National Art Museum. The museum features collections of medieval and modern Romanian art. There is also an international artcollection. The museum’s building used to be Romania’s former palace. Some spaces of the palace were restored and you can visit them via a guided tour.

Revolution Square Bucharest

It’s impossible to read about Romania and not come across the name of Nicolae Ceaușescu. He was the communist leader of Romania from 1967 to 1989. 1989 saw the overturn of many communist regimes in eastern Europe. In the light of these events a revolution erupted in Romania in December 1989. It started off in Timisoara but spread in Bucharest as well.

The events unfolded in the – now – Revolution square during a public address by Ceaușescu. The large building on the square used to be the Communist Party headquarters. Ceaușescu and his wife fled the building by helicopter. The army (which in the meantime changed sides) ultimately captured them. They were tried and executed in December 1989. I remember hearing about Ceaușescu’s fall at the time from my parents.

Revolution square now features a controversial monument. It is dedicated to the people that died during the revolution.

Kretzulescu Church

Across the street from Revolution square is the Kretzulescu church. It is an Orthodox church built in Brâncovenesc style. Next to the church is a nice arcade with a couple of cafes and a bookstore.

University Square

It’s an oval shaped square surrounded by beautiful buildings. There are a few cafes on the square and surrounding streets. The square is a good starting point for venturing out in the Old Town. I also loved walking east on Carol I Boulevard and south on Ion C. Bratianu Boulevard. Both streets have noteworthy architecture.

Bucharest Old Town

The Historical Center of Bucharest has some of the oldest sites in the city. One of them is the Old Princely Court, which was a residence during the rule of Vlad III Dracula in 1459. Nearby is Manuc’s Inn, which is the oldest operating hotel building in Bucharest. Both are located on St Anthony square.

My favorite part of the Old Town is what I would call a “bank area”. This is on the north part of the Old Town and has buildings that belong or used to be banks. One of those buildings now houses Carturesti Carusel. Carturesti is a bookstore chain in Romania. This store on Lipscani street is considered to be one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.

Another beautiful building is that of the Palace of Deposits and Consignments (CEC) on Calea Victoriei. The Marmorosch Hotel is also a repurposed bank building. We stayed there for the night so I will share more about it further on.

Last but not least, you cannot miss Stavropoleos Monastery. It’s architectural style is Brâncovenesc, which I’m clearly a fan of. The church is almost 300 years old (was built in 1724). The monastery annex and inn were demolished in the late 19th century. The building next to the church has a library, a conference room and a collection of old Byzantine icons.

New St George Church

We saw the church as we were walking north on Bratianu boulevard and decided to check it out. This church has the most beautiful murals I’ve ever seen in an Orthodox church. And I’ve seen many. The original church dates from the late 17th century. Over the centuries fire and earthquakes destroyed the church. It underwent major reconstruction in the 20th century. The church is the burial place of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu.

Palace of the Parliament

The Palace of the Parliament is one of the largest administrative buildings in the world. It was the centerpiece of Ceaușescu’s systematization project inspired by North Korea. The building’s construction began in 1984 and finished in 1997. It has many functions and still most of it remains unused.

Piata and Bulervadul Unirii

Opposite the Palace of the Parliament and Constitution square starts Unirii boulevard. Synchronized fountains are in the middle of the street. Both sides of the boulevard have beautiful sidewalks. We walked from Constitution square to Unirii place. The fountains on the square fascinated us. I spent like 15 minutes taking pictures and videos of the fountains. In the summer evenings there is a multimedia show on the weekends.

Eat, Drink, Stay in Bucharest

After covering the sites and neighborhoods I visited in Bucharest let’s cover food and accommodation. On my first day I ate lunch at Treevi pizza on Calea Victoriei. They have restaurants in other locations in the city as well. For a coffee (or lemonade in my case) you can stop at Artichoke Social House next to Kretzulescu Church. It’s a cool place with a disco bathroom and a nice patio.

For desserts I suggest French Revolution eclairs next to Ateneul Roman. We also dined at The Marmorosch Bucharest and had lunch at Sushi room (near Ateneul Roman). I spotted many places in Bucharest that deserve a spot on your list. In the Aviatorilor neighborhood there is BOB coffee lab and Aubergine restaurant. In the Old Town there is Caru’ cu bere restaurant. A couple of people recommended this place to me. It dates back to the late 19th century and is beautiful on the inside. On the outside though it blocks the view towards the CEC building.

We stayed at The Marmorosch Bucharest using Marriott Bonvoy points. The building used to house the Marmorosch – Blank bank until 1949. The bank was one of the most important Romanian banking institutions of the early 20th century. That explains the grandeur of the building and especially the central hall which houses the bar/lounge/restaurant.

We stayed in a Heritage guest room which had the most amazing bathroom I’ve ever seen. The room was located in the old bank building just above the main entrance. The design of building kept a lot of details from the old bank.

That sums up my visit to Bucharest! It stole my heart and it is a city I definitely recommend visiting.